Chapter 25 Brynn
Brynn
Killing her son’s murderer had been cathartic for all of a heartbeat, and yet, when the man fell limp to the ground, her son had still been dead.
It was an empty sort of closure. Yes, she had the revenge she hadn’t dared hope for, but what was the point?
Brynn couldn’t help but wonder if there was a woman somewhere on Valdar waiting for a son who would never come home. Had Brynn created yet one more grieving mother?
She didn’t blame Cenric for what he had done. He had been raised Valdari and blood was the Valdari means of justice. In his own way, Cenric had done the greatest thing he could do. He had acknowledged her son’s life as worth avenging and gone to Valdar and back to prove it.
Exhaustion weighed Brynn down. She had worked all day and there was the usual tiredness of hard labor, but this was more. She was at the point of numbness, like she had experienced too much pain, and her soul had decided oblivion was better.
Brynn didn’t remember if it had been Cenric’s idea or hers, but he shuffled her off to bed with Esa’s help. Brynn had intended to rest only for a few minutes. She laid down with Guin nestled against her side. The puppy seemed to sense her distress and whimpered, licking Brynn’s cheek as she snuggled close.
Esa returned when it was dark, carrying a cake of hot bread, a bowl of stew, and several choice cuts of meat. From the portion sizes, Brynn assumed Cenric had sent it.
Through the door, Brynn could hear voices. It must be well into supper. She should be there, but instead of going into the other room, she ate what she could and sent Esa away with the leftovers. Esa took Guin outside so that Brynn could keep resting.
Brynn wasn’t sure how long she slept, but she woke the second time when Cenric came into the room. He entered quietly, but she felt his presence like a shift in the air.
Snapper entered after him, sauntering in like it was his right to be here.
“You can go,” Cenric said, voice low. “I will bank the fire.”
A figure rose from beside the hearth. Brynn realized one of the house girls had been watching the fire while she slept. The girl bowed to Cenric as she slipped out the door past him.
The longhouse had gone quiet. Cenric took his time to ease the door closed. He sat on the chest at the foot of the bed to pull off his boots and remove his woolen leg wraps. He undressed stealthily, carefully, trying not to wake her.
Guin yipped at the sight of Snapper, hopping to the edge of the bed.
“Shh,” Cenric whispered. He scooped up Guin and she growled at him.
Guin was still holding a grudge against him, it seemed. Nonetheless, the moment he set her down, she scampered over to Snapper and the older dog dropped to her level. He rolled onto his back, letting Guin pounce on top of him. Snapper let off a playful growl as the puppy tried to pin him to the rug.
While the dogs wrestled in front of the hearth, Cenric removed his belt. His tunic came next.
The fire outlined muscular shoulders and a toned back. Cenric cracked his neck to one side and then the other, sending ripples through the lines of muscle. He usually slept beside her bare chested, though his trousers had stayed on. All the same, the sight of him now made heat pool in her low belly, and it was suddenly hard to sit still.
“Cenric?”
At his name, he shifted, facing her. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Brynn pushed herself up onto her elbow. “It’s fine.”
Cenric rose, leaving his clothes on top of the chest. He sat on his side of the bed, stripped down to his trousers. The mattress shifted under his weight as he settled beside her, watching the flames.
As distracting as his body was, Brynn noticed the crease in his brow. “Is something wrong?”
“I had a foretelling.”
“A foretelling?”
“Of you.” Cenric looked at her wrists, not making eye contact. “Your hands bound and…you drowned in the sea.”
Brynn hesitated. “Does that mean I’m going to die?”
“No,” Cenric said the word with a ferocity that left no room for argument. “It means we need to be careful, probably for the next few days. Stay close to me, alright?”
Brynn tried take heart in his confidence. “Alright.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Brynn.” Cenric spoke the words like a vow.
“I believe you.” And she did. Cenric would protect her, if nothing else. That was one promise she didn’t doubt from him.
Cenric exhaled another long breath, watching the flames in the fireplace.
“Is there something else?”
“Ielda…” He hesitated, looking back at her. “The mercenary who attacked Glasney. Who led the longship Svendi sailed for.”
Brynn braced herself for the grief to well up again, but instead of rising, this time it remained steady. The sadness was still there, a massive lake in her mind, but its waters were calm for now. “Yes?”
“He said they were paid to kill Paega.”
Brynn straightened at that. “Paid?”
“Yes.” Cenric brushed something off his eye. “He didn’t mention being paid to kill your son. Just Paega.”
Brynn frowned, trying to think. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t, does it?” Cenric agreed.
“Paega is…” Brynn shook her head. “Ever since the war, he has waited for death.”
Brynn had tried to be sympathetic about his grief, but she was finding less and less pity for him now.
She’d lost her child, yet she still forced herself to keep living. She still took care of the people around her and those who depended on her. She hadn’t just laid down and given up the way he had.
“I don’t suppose you know who might have done it?” There was no accusation in the question, but Cenric’s tone was low, serious.
“No,” Brynn answered. “And it wasn’t me.”
“No,” Cenric agreed. “No, you could have made his death look like an accident quite easily, I imagine. This would have to be someone tired of waiting for it.”
“My mother,” Brynn said without thinking. A sick sensation churned in her gut. Had her mother caused her child’s death? The woman had mentioned she’d assumed Brynn should have had her son with her that day.
“Your mother?” Cenric sounded interested, but not surprised.
“She…” Brynn hesitated a second as she wrestled with how much to tell him.
Cenric watched her quietly, patiently. He’d been trustworthy so far. Maybe she could risk continuing to trust him.
“My mother knew it was Valdari who attacked.”
“I see.” Cenric considered that. He must know as well as Brynn that wasn’t definitive proof. Cenric himself had guessed as much and Brynn probably could have guessed it herself if she hadn’t been so grief stricken at the time. “She and her people have left, but we can hunt them down if you wish.”
Brynn shook her head. She didn’t want to risk Cenric’s thanes for the possibility that her mother had a hand in her son’s death. If she went after Selene, she would need to be sure.
“But I thought she wanted you married to Paega?” Cenric asked.
“She came because she had another husband for me. For after I had another child by Paega.” Brynn looked away. “I don’t want him. I told her I don’t, but…she’s been planning it for some time. She thinks Aelgar will die soon and wants to have someone to take his place.”
Selene had wanted Brynn’s son alive to help her hold onto Glasney, but killing the boy had apparently been all the Valdari. That hadn’t been part of their patron’s plan. Would Brynn ever know for sure? It wasn’t as if Selene would admit to it.
Cenric didn’t seem surprised. “Your mother wants your next husband to be king?”
Brynn’s stomach tightened, but she’d already made the decision to trust him. “No,” she whispered. “My mother wants me to be queen.”
Cenric shifted back, probably thinking through the same objections Brynn had leveled at her mother. Hylden didn’t have queens. There was the occasional tribal chieftain and clan leader who was a woman, but for the aldermen to kneel before a woman and pledge fealty would be more than their pride could bear.
“I can see why,” Cenric mused, scratching at his beard the way he did when he was thinking. “If anyone could be the first queen of Hylden, it would be you.”
Brynn shot him a sharp look. Had she misjudged him? Was Cenric more ambitious, and power hungry than she thought?
“You are clever. Charismatic. And fierce enough that they would come to respect you. Eventually.” Cenric was quiet for a long moment, as if carefully considering his next words. “But Hylden would never accept a queen married to me.” He spoke each word slowly, cautiously. “They only tolerate me because no one else wants the lands this close to Valdar. Aelgar knows this. You know this.”
“I don’t want to be queen,” Brynn said quickly. “I want you.”
Cenric looked up at that, meeting her eyes. The firelight reflected in dark pupils as he studied her. His whole body shifted as his full attention narrowed on her.
That look sent chills through her whole body and made heat pool deep in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to touch him, to reach out and clench her fingers into the hard lines of his shoulder, but she was afraid to move. She had the undeniable sense that something would happen if she moved, she just wasn’t sure what.
“Brynn?” He spoke her name like an invitation, a dare, and a request all at once.
“Cenric.”
That must have been the answer he wanted. Cenric closed the space between them, framing her face in his hands and tugging her toward him. He kissed her as he had done many times, but this time was different.
This wasn’t teasing, challenging, or questing. This was confident, sure of himself as his mouth moved against hers.
Brynn’s heart raced in a mixture of excitement and fear. She didn’t know what to do.
Where was she supposed to put her hands? Was she supposed to take her clothes off now or did he want to do it?
“Cenric!” Brynn shoved against him, panic getting the best of her.
He released her immediately, brow furrowed in confusion. “Brynn?”
Her chest heaved with a swirl of emotions.
“I’m sorry.” Cenric shook his head. “I thought…I’m sorry.” He shifted away from her, putting space between them.
Brynn grabbed his arm. His muscles were delightfully firm under her fingers, threatening to distract her. “No,” she panted, embarrassingly out of breath. “I just…I’m not good at this.”
Cenric studied her hand on his arm. He didn’t draw toward her again, but he didn’t pull away any further. “What do you mean?”
Oh, this was humiliating. Brynn’s face heated and she looked away.
He was going to be disappointed. So disappointed. Brynn always tried to do the right thing, but this was one area she’d never gotten right.
“This.” She swallowed down her shame, trying to find the right words. “Pleasing men. I’m not good at it.”
Cenric still didn’t seem to understand. “Pleasing…men?”
Brynn closed her eyes. To be fair, she’d only been with one man, but when that was the sum of her experience, it had a way of diminishing a woman’s confidence. “Paega was never pleased.” She didn’t know how else to explain it.
That did not seem to answer any of Cenric’s questions. “You had a child.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t a good experience.” Brynn thought her face might catch on fire.
“He hurt you?” Cenric’s tone turned hard. He shifted toward her again, like he could protect her from the past.
Brynn didn’t know how to answer that. It had been rough, but Paega hadn’t forced himself on her. She wasn’t sure she was allowed to say the man had hurt her when she was the one who had asked him for a baby.
“It wasn’t good,” Brynn answered, her voice small. “For either of us.”
Cenric muttered something in Valdari under his breath—a curse on Paega if she had to guess from the tone.
Brynn gathered her courage again. “I want to please you.” She dropped her hand, letting it fall near his on top of the blankets. “But you’re going to have to tell me how.”
Cenric shook his head, letting out a long exhale. Some of the tension left his shoulders. “Brynn.” He shifted on the bed to close the distance between them again. “My sweet wife.”
Brynn’s heart leapt at his endearment, her body tingling as he drew close again.
He cradled her face with one hand, resting his forehead against hers. “You already please me.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Everything is better since you came here.” He kissed just to the side of her mouth. “The air is cleaner.” He brushed his cheek against hers as he lowered his head to kiss her jawline. “The mead is sweeter.” He kissed her throat, the barest touch of his lips on her skin. “The fields are greener.”
“It’s autumn,” Brynn whimpered, pressing closer against him. She wasn’t sure where this was going, but she hoped he wouldn’t stop.
Cenric chuckled. “Well, then we can say you make the fields more golden, if you insist.” He caressed her neck before sliding her collar aside to kiss her collarbone. “But you make everything better. You are my fondest delight.” His lips teased her skin, sending shivers of heat straight to her core.
Brynn gasped, struggling to contain a moan. She wrapped her arms around him, hoping that was alright. His back was broad, rippling. Solid. Comfortingly warm. Alive. “What should I do?” she whispered. “Tell me what to do.”
“Take your clothes off.” Cenric nipped her ear lobe before pulling back.
Nerves fluttered in her stomach. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but maybe if he kept telling her what to do, it would be fine.
She pulled away, feeling a sense of chill at the loss of his nearness. Brynn stood, undoing the belts and ties that held her dress in place. Brynn stripped down to her linen shift, setting her wool dress and outer clothes aside.
Cenric’s eyes had gone dark watching her. He gestured to her shift. “All of it. Off.”
Brynn trembled as she obeyed, removing the last of her clothes. She pulled off her stockings for good measure, standing in front of him naked as the day she was born.
Her heart raced. She wasn’t quite sure where to put her hands. Self-consciousness burned in the back of her mind. Brynn had never thought herself vain, but in that moment, completely bared in front of this man, every flaw seemed magnified tenfold.
But Cenric wasn’t looking at her like she was flawed. His eyes slid over her slowly, appreciatively. His gaze hot and hungry.
A slow smile spread across his face. He crooked one finger in her direction, beckoning her to him.
Brynn climbed back onto the bed, meeting him at the center. Her stomach churned nervously yet she wanted to reach out and touch him, to kiss him again. To have his mouth on her again.
It was just sex, she told herself. People did it all the time, and it meant nothing. It had always been just a means to an end for her. A duty.
But already it was different with Cenric. She’d been vulnerable with him, allowed him to see her deepest, most broken places. She couldn’t keep him out of her heart when she had already let him in.
Cenric rested his hand on her side, stroking his thumb over the curve of her hip bone. He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin. He eased her back onto the bed, sinking onto his elbow beside her. He kissed her throat, one hand stroking languidly up and down her side.
Brynn pressed closer against him with a soft whimper.
Cenric lowered his mouth to her breast. He sucked at her nipple, making her gasp and her back arch under him. He leaned over her to kiss her other breast, drawing his tongue in spirals around the nipple until he took that into his mouth, repeating his ministrations.
Brynn bit back a moan, clenching his back. The sensation fluttered between pleasure and pain, a blinding intensity teetering between the two.
Cenric moved back up to kiss her collarbone, her throat, until they were cheek to cheek, his mouth against her ear. “How can I best pleasure you, love?”
Brynn squeezed her eyes shut at the endearment, her fingers digging tighter into his back. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you know what I mean?” Cenric was kind enough not to sound mocking as he asked the question.
“I know what you mean, I’m just not sure that I…can.” Her cheeks flushed with heat again. Cenric really was going to drag out every single one of her sad little secrets.
Cenric pulled back so they were eye level again. He cradled her face, brushing his thumb along her lower lip. “You’ve never touched yourself?”
Brynn squeezed her eyes shut. When she had started bedding Paega, she’d asked his elder sister Ulstrid for help because she hadn’t known who else to ask. Ulstrid had told her how to touch herself and Brynn had tried it during intercourse, hoping that would make it hurt less. Paega’s look of absolute disgust had filled her with more shame than she’d ever known up to that point. She’d never been able to try it again without remembering his face.
“It didn’t work,” Brynn answered quietly, her voice so soft she wasn’t sure Cenric would hear it. “I’ve never…” She shook her head.
Cenric was quiet for a long moment, then he kissed her forehead. “We’ll work on fixing that. If not tonight, then however long it takes.”
“I’m fine,” Brynn said. “You don’t have to go through the trouble.”
Cenric tilted his head to the side. “And leave my wife unsatisfied?”
“You might find it frustrating.” Brynn didn’t want Cenric to be disappointed. She didn’t want anything like that spoiling these moments.
“Let us try, love,” Cenric murmured, his mouth drifting to kiss her jaw, her neck, back down her collarbone. “Can you trust me?”
Brynn took a shaky breath and adjusted her shoulders to be more comfortable. “What should I do?”
“I am going to do things to you,” Cenric said. “And you tell me if you like them or not.”
Despite her reservations, Brynn’s whole body shivered in equal parts anticipation and nervousness. “Alright.”
Cenric leaned back on his elbow, so he had a full view of her naked body. He ran a hand down her side, over her hip, and down her thigh. He took his time, feeling her curves and contours with gentle thoroughness. “How is this?”
“Fine.” Brynn enjoyed the feel of his hands on her, if nothing else.
“Good.” Cenric reached her knee and feathered his fingers over and down, so that his hand was on her inner thigh. “This?”
“Yes.” Brynn’s heart thudded harder as his fingers dragged up the inside of her leg. She shifted, parting her legs for him as he drew closer toward the apex of her thighs.
Cenric reached the top of her thigh, close enough to stroke the dark curls between her legs before he withdrew. He repeated the ritual on the other side, asking her at each interval how it felt.
“Fine,” Brynn gasped, pressing up toward him as he drew his hand up her inner thigh a second time.
“Good,” Cenric purred, his voice heavy in her ear. “What about this?” Instead of withdrawing this time, he stroked two fingers on either side of her entrance, watching her face as he did.
Brynn felt exposed in a way she’d never been before. Being the center of his attention was as exciting as it was terrifying. “That’s alright.”
“Hmm. And this?” Cenric parted her with his fingers, but instead of pushing inside her like she expected, his touch found the bud at her peak.
Brynn flinched.
Cenric let go. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s fine.” Brynn inhaled a quick breath. “I think your hand is too dry.”
“I see.” Cenric stroked his fingers through the slit between her legs, coating them in her wetness. “Is this better?”
Brynn gasped. “Oh. That’s…that’s good.”
“Good.” Cenric breathed the word against her cheek, watching her as his hand worked between her legs. “Does this please you?”
“Yes.” Brynn closed her eyes as a flurry of sensations overtook her. Ecstasy radiated through every nerve ending from her scalp to her toes as Cenric teased pleasure from her sex.
“Stay with me, love,” Cenric murmured. “Eyes on me.”
Brynn obeyed, opening her eyes to find him smiling down at her.
“Good. That’s good. Let me see you.” He dipped his fingers down into her cleft, coating them in wetness again before resuming his ministrations. Cenric lowered his head, his mouth finding her breast even as his hand continued to work between her legs.
Brynn bit her lip as the pressure built deep in her core. She could feel her body tensing, rising toward something. She reached toward that feeling, trying to grasp it.
Cenric kept stroking her with one hand, cradling her with the other while his mouth coaxed pleasure from her breast. From where he lay beside her, she could feel his hardness through his trousers pressing against her hip. This aroused him. He was enjoying this, too.
“More,” Brynn pleaded. “Please.”
Cenric complied, his fingers stroking faster, harder, but that was too much.
Brynn flinched, yelping under him.
Cenric stopped, lifting his head to search her face. “Was I too rough?”
Brynn’s breath came in heaves, her body flushed with heat. “I think your fingers dried out again.”
Cenric kissed her forehead. “I have a solution for that.” He shifted away from her.
Brynn pushed up onto her elbows, suddenly feeling cold. “Where are you going?” She didn’t want him to stop. Whatever he had been doing, she desperately wanted him to keep going.
“Trust me.” Cenric climbed off the bed. He gripped her behind her knees and dragged her to him, so she was barely seated on the edge.
Brynn reached for him, hoping that was alright. Cenric met her in the space between them, touching the side of her face as he kissed her cheek, her nose, her eyes.
“Let go, Brynn.” Cenric lowered to his knees between her thighs and Brynn’s chest clenched. She didn’t think any other man had ever knelt to her, much less an alderman. He stroked down her legs, bowing to kiss the tops of her feet, then stroking up her calves. His mouth trailed a line across her knees, up her thighs.
Brynn wasn’t even sure what to call this. What Cenric was doing to her was more than reverence or homage, greater than any of the words she would have thought to use. The only thing that she could think to call it was worship .
Seated on the bed, Brynn watched him, speechless. It was too far beyond anything she had experienced or expected to experience. The way Cenric touched her made her whole chest feel as warm and pliant as melted beeswax. She was defenseless and yet it didn’t frighten her.
She gasped as Cenric nudged her legs apart, leaving kisses along the soft skin of her inner thighs. Was he going to…?
Cenric nuzzled the dark hairs between her legs, inhaling deeply. It was vulgar and animalistic and—she liked it. Brynn liked it far more than she ever would have thought.
He grinned up at her, as if somehow he knew, then he dropped his head and his tongue slid between the apex of her legs.
Brynn choked as fiery sensations flared through her entire body. How could such a small thing make her feel so intensely through every bone and sinew?
She leaned back, wanting to give him better access for whatever he was doing. Cenric caught her, pushing her down onto the bed.
Whimpering, Brynn let him, staring up at the crossbeams of the ceiling as the whole world seemed to narrow and expand around what his tongue was doing to her.
Cenric’s hands found her breasts and teased lightly along her nipples. Despite the calluses, his fingertips worked deftly and skillful, pinching and stroking and teasing with the perfect tempo.
Brynn moaned, her back arching into his hands. How could anything feel this good?
Tingles of ecstasy radiated from between her legs and her breasts to coil deep in her core. The pressure built, rising faster than Brynn could think about it. She leaned into that feeling, focusing on the sensation of his mouth and hands on her. Brynn strained and it was no longer about just wanting to please Cenric.
She wanted this, whatever it was. She needed this.
Then it hit her.
Brynn’s climax struck hard. A sob ripped out of her as she slammed upward doubling over Cenric, clinging to him as shudders wracked her whole body.
She couldn’t control it as her body contracted and convulsed with a lifetime of pent-up emotions. It was terrifying.
Cenric held onto her, laughing victoriously as she writhed against him. There was nothing dignified or composed as she shuddered against her husband, her body completely and totally beyond her control.
Brynn whimpered, finally collapsing against him as the shudders subsided into little aftershocks.
“Good girl.” Cenric stroked her back, voice flushed with pride. “I knew you could do it for me.”
Brynn panted, her mind hazy. Everything felt warm and golden and beautiful.
“You have a nice scream.” Cenric straightened, still holding her to him as he kissed her shoulder.
Scream? Oh no. “Did I disturb the rest of the house?”
Cenric shrugged. “They’ll be fine.” He pressed his lips to the side of her neck. “I am so proud of you.”
Brynn giggled nervously, flushed and hot and feeling…what was this? Happiness. She was happy, happier than she could remember being in a long time.
She kissed his neck, emboldened in the afterglow of her climax. She snuggled closer, wrapping her legs around him. She traced a finger down his chest, admiring the planes of muscle that rippled down his abdomen. He was gorgeous. A warrior god wrapped in flesh.
When she had been younger, Brynn had ogled her fair share of men and boys her own age. She’d had the fluttering of nervousness at the sight of a beautiful man before and had experienced more than a few moments of desire.
Then she had been married and found her marriage bed to be filled with nothing but resentment and pain. But Cenric…
“I want something,” Brynn whispered.
Cenric’s brows rose, and his mouth quirked slightly. “Do you?”
Brynn licked her lips. It wasn’t like her, but there wasn’t much point in propriety after what had just happened. She pressed a hand over the bulge in his trousers. Brynn didn’t know how to explain what she wanted, but her husband seemed to understand.
Cenric’s mouth spread into a wicked grin. He stood, undoing the ties of his trousers.
Brynn watched from the edge of the bed, heart pounding in her ears. It was going to happen. But it would be alright this time. She was with Cenric.
Cenric kicked off his trousers and faced her, outlined by the firelight. His cock hung free, hard, glistening at the tip, and much larger than she’d expected.
He was magnificent. Gorgeous. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she slipped off the bed and knelt as he had done for her, reaching for his arousal.
It was hard to read his expression with the backlighting, but she felt him watching her. Intent. Hungry. Pleased.
Brynn had heard about this, even if she’d never done it herself. She grasped his shaft and hesitated, but Cenric’s groan of pleasure gave her the courage to continue. She took him in her mouth.
Cenric let off a low growl, tilting his head back. “That’s good.”
He was too big for her to take the entire length of him, but she used her hand at his base and her mouth at the top half. She sucked and stroked, wanting to tease the same pleasure out of him that he had drawn out of her.
Cenric groaned in appreciation, rocking his hips. He rested his hands on her shoulders, but she had the feeling that he was holding back, restraining himself.
He liked this. He enjoyed this.
Brynn felt a little thrill at that as he hardened even more.
“No.” Cenric pushed her back by her shoulders.
Brynn looked up, chastened. “Did I do something wrong?”
Cenric shook his head. “Be sure to remember that because I will ask you to do it again.” He pulled her up to her feet so that they were eye to eye once again. “But I want something else tonight.” He kissed her before pressing her back toward the bed.
Brynn let him ease her down, yielding as he leveled on top of her. She shifted, spreading her thighs for him, but he didn’t rush it.
Cenric hovered over her, his hands rooted on either side of her head. He studied her for a long moment, searching for something. Whatever it was, he must have found it. He dropped down onto his elbows, so they were pressed together. Face to face, belly to belly.
He stroked the head of his cock up and down along her entrance, urging her open and coaxing more wetness from her until they were both slick. He eased inside her a little at a time—gentle and ever so patient.
Brynn gasped as he pushed his entire length inside her.
He paused, searching her face. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t stop. Please.”
Cenric kissed her again, then began to thrust his hips. He started out slow, almost torturously slow.
Brynn pressed her face into the crook of his neck, clinging to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
“Beautiful creature,” Cenric panted. “Beautiful, beautiful girl, you feel so good.”
“You feel good, too,” Brynn whispered. And he did. She didn’t think she could climax like this, but she loved the weight of him, the way his muscles coiled around her, the sensation of being filled when he pushed inside her. Sighing, Brynn dug her nails into his back, rocking her hips in time to his rhythm. Her hands roved over him, touching, petting.
“What are you doing with your hands?” Cenric chuckled.
“You’re doing all the work,” Brynn said, feeling awkward. “I want to do something.”
“I’ll tell you what to do.” Cenric caught her wrists, pinning them over her head. “You’re going to lie there and take my cock.”
Brynn shrank from him, feeling rebuked. Had she made him angry?
Cenric’s mouth found the side of her neck and he scraped his teeth along her skin. He didn’t bite her, not quite, but he seemed to be holding back, barely restraining himself from devouring her. “Stop trying to earn everything.” His voice softened, but he didn’t release her wrists. “I’ll get my pleasure, love. Focus on yours.”
Brynn nodded shakily. He wasn’t angry with her, even if it felt strange that her enjoyment was important to him.
So, this was what it was like to make love. Not just sex. This was true intimacy with someone she wanted, who wanted her back.
She watched the play of the firelight on Cenric’s shoulders and how his muscles surged with each thrust. It was a magnificent sight. Enough to take a woman’s breath away.
“Brynn,” Cenric groaned, gritting his teeth. “I’m getting close, but I can last longer if you want me to.”
Brynn shook her head. She strained, pressing up against him. “Take it,” she whispered in his ear. “Take what you need.”
Cenric growled, a deep, masculine sound that sent a shiver through her. Something primal came over him. Something that frightened her almost as much as it thrilled her. With her hands held down, he thrust into her harder, faster than before.
“Yes,” Brynn gasped. He wanted her fiercely, desperately, and she could feel it in every surge of his body. In this moment, she was the focus of his existence, and she had never felt more desired than she did with her wrists pinned in his grasp. “Yes.”
He might have been generous earlier, but he demanded it all back now. Cenric slammed in and out of her like he couldn’t get deep enough.
Brynn wanted to pull him closer, but he held her wrists down. Again, she felt the need to do something, but he was forcing her to surrender and just receive.
She had no control. She couldn’t do anything. And it felt amazing.
Cenric climaxed with a guttural oath in Valdari. He thrust deep inside her and held there for a set of heartbeats as the tension released in his face. Cenric feathered kisses all over her forehead, her lips, her cheeks, her jaw, and her eyes before he finally let go of her wrists. He pulled out of her and collapsed onto the bed, sweat shining on his forehead.
He beckoned her to his side, and she curled against him, resting her head on his heaving chest. Cenric ran his hand up and down her naked back.
“Incredible,” Cenric sighed. “You were wrong about pleasing men.” He kissed the top of her head. “You please me and that’s all that matters.”
Brynn pressed closer against him. Her throat tightened for some reason. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
Cenric trailed his fingers along her back. He shifted, tucking her under his chin. “Beautiful, beautiful girl.”
In front of the fire, Guin had settled down between Snapper’s front paws and he was engrossed in giving her a tongue bath. Snapper was a natural nanny.
Brynn felt safer, happier, and more at peace than she could ever remember.
She was in love with Cenric, she realized. Maybe it was the effects of her climax still echoing through her body, but she didn’t have another word for this feeling. It was like being engulfed in a cloud of ka, like having a warm hearth in her chest.
For the first time in her life, Brynn was happy and in love.